In a world marked by protracted violent conflicts, rising polarisation, and the instrumentalisation of peace language, the challenge of bringing wars to an end and building lasting peace has never been greater.

With diplomatic resources and political will eroding, and trust in mediation at a historic low, more than fifty wars continue unabated across the globe. Comprehensive peace agreements have been absent in recent years, and where deals are reached, they are often limited in scope and short-lived.

At the same time, peace-washing, the use of peace rhetoric to conceal practices that perpetuate inequality, violence, or domination, threatens to hollow out the very meaning of peace. As funding for the peacebuilding sector declines, innovative approaches to ending violent conflicts and sustaining peace are needed.

The Bologna Peacebuilding Forum 2026 will explore what it truly means to “end wars” in the present era: not only stopping violence, but transforming the systems and conditions that sustain it. Through dialogue among policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and students, the Forum will examine both the emerging challenges surrounding long-term peace agreements and the promise and peril of new technologies in peacebuilding.

The event aims to move beyond rhetoric towards practical pathways for complex dialogue, to strengthen multilateral cooperation, and to reimagine peace for an interconnected and increasingly contested world.